At The Carnival
by EmpressYam
Summary: “So,” said Mai, breaking the silence, “you went to – ahem, a fountain?”;“Yes,” answered Zuko, still staring decisively at the ground. He felt really uncomfortable now. “And what did you do?” asked Mai, lowering her voice to a barely audible whisper. MAIKO
1. Arrival

**A/N: For some reason, the Avatar baddies are always fun to write. Anyway. MAIKO RULES. Read on.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Avatar… (weeps in despair) I do not own Ty Lee, Mai, Azula, Zuko – however hard that may be to say.**

They were the unlikeliest people to be in that unlikeliest place. The loud music and chattering of people filled the air.

Zuko looked around grumpily. "I don't know how you talked us into this, Ty Lee."

Ty Lee, in all her pinkest, looked around curiously. "I said we were going somewhere fun!"

"The carnival was not in my mind at that time," Zuko answered while Mai looked around, apparently bored.

"Well, there's nothing at all worth seeing here," she said, eyeing a bunch of rowdy people.

"Oh, Zuko, Mai, you two are always such in a grim mood," Azula told them lightly, smirking. "You have to lighten up. You don't have to hate the world every single day, you know. For once, you've got to - I know," she said, bringing her hands together, "Why don't both of you have some fun… by yourselves?"

Ty Lee looked delighted. "Oooh… I bet they would look so cute!" She dreamily looked them. "I can picture them holding hands, eating ice cream, enjoying the rides, playing the games…"

"Don't exaggerate it, Ty Lee," Azula said, smirking, "Your wishes might not come true. Or maybe they will."

Zuko looked at Mai, who raised her eyebrows in response.

He shrugged, "Whatever."

"Excellent," Azula said, eyes narrowing with a mischievous smile on her face. "Come on, Ty Lee, let's leave these two grumpy lovebirds alone."

**A/N: It's pretty short. That's just the introduction, though!**


	2. A Big, Fluffy Teddy Bear

**A/N: Does Mai, games, and teddy bear come in a story?**

Zuko stared as Azula and Ty Lee walked away. He couldn't help but think that his sister had something evil in store for them.

_I had better be careful_, he thought, _Azula's like that. She never misses a chance for me to make a fool of myself. I should keep my eyes peeled and – _

"So, what should we do now?" Mai interrupted his thoughts.

He was jerked out of his reverie and looked at her.

"Uh… I don't know," he said uncomfortably, now aware that he was on a some sort of "date".

Mai sighed. "I guess… we could just have a look around," she said, holding his hand and pulling him into the crowd. They walked, hand in hand, yet barely looking at each other, trying to find interest at the stalls around them.

"This is boring actually," Mai said after walking around the stalls with Zuko for the third time.

"We could, uh, play the games in there," he suggested.

She glanced at one store. "Sure, why not," she answered, and headed for that stall.

All that time, Zuko can't help but notice she still hadn't let go of his hand.

"Step right up, young missy!" The shopkeeper flashed a big grin at them. "You two look like you need some fun! Well, here's some fun! For just two silver pieces you get three hoops and all you've gotta do is to shoot them at those sticks over there! You'd get a real big prize if you get all three! What do you say?" he asked, still grinning.

"Whatever." Mai handed out two silver pieces.

"You're going to play?" Zuko asked, surprised. He didn't expect Mai to like these kind of games.

"Obviously." She rolled her eyes at him. "Anyway, this is a piece of cake."

Remembering that she was skilled in shuriken-jutsu, Zuko smiled and watched her as she silently took her aim.

Seamlessly, she threw the three hoops. At the same time. They landed perfectly on a single stick.

"Congratulations! You've won a major prize! My, I haven't seen that kind of shooting since… well, never! Here's a big, fluffy, and cuddly teddy bear for you!" the shopkeeper said ecstatically, handing over an over-stuffed toy.

Mai raised her eyebrow. Zuko suppressed a grin. A fluffy teddy bear and Mai would never go together.

Nevertheless, sighing, she accepted it. Mai wrapped her arms around it and, looking very unlike her usual self, started stalking away from that stall, Zuko following her.

"Great shooting there, Mai," he complimented.

"Uh, thanks," she replied.

**A/N: Now, how was that? It's a bit longer than the first one. I'll make longer chapters later on! Reviews please!**


	3. Little Miss Teddy and The Hotdog Man

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Anyway, here's another Maiko moment! (I just love writing these stuff.)**

Mai, with her new cuddly teddy bear, walked around with Zuko at the carnival. She sighed. "This is the most uncomfortable toy I've ever had," she said dully, while raising it up as if inspecting it against the light.

Zuko stifled a laugh. "Teddy bears are uncomfortable?" he asked, trying to keep his face straight.

"Yeah. Isn't it obvious? With all its disgusting fur, and its unusual smile…" she gestured. "And its ears keep on getting in my face," she concluded with a hasty shove at the bear's lobes.

"You want me to hold it for you?" Zuko asked, holding out his hand.

"Whatever you say."

And with that, she dumped the teddy in his arms.

They continued pacing around the stalls. A boy suddenly approached them. "Mister, can I have that teddy?" he asked, eyes shining.

Zuko glanced at Mai. "I don't know… It's hers, actually, she won it in the stall over there." He jerked his head backwards, indicating the place they came from.

"Please, mister!" His eyes shone. "Can I please, please, please, please, please –"

"Ugh, Zuko, just give him the bear," Mai said, annoyed by the kid's voice.

He handed it over. The boy embraced his new treasure. "Thank you so much, miss!" he said to Mai, "And you too, mister," he added, with a slight bow at Zuko. Then he skipped away, the bear in his arms.

"Well," Mai said, "that was… a bit unexpected."

"Yeah."

They continued pacing around the carnival, and with the loss of the teddy bear's weight, are now hand in hand.

**(A/N: The next lines are from The Beach episode)**

"I'm bored," Mai said with an air of… boredom.

"I know," Zuko replied.

"I'm hungry."

"So what?"

Mai stared hard. "So… find me some food."

Zuko sighed, "Sure."

He looked around the blinding lights of the carnival. Hotdog stands and cotton candy stalls were everywhere.

"I don't know if you're used to these stuff," he said lamely.

"Ah well. A hotdog would be enough to make the hunger ease."

The stallkeeper stared grumpily at them.

"Well?" he said, haughtily. "Are 'ya gonna buy something or not?"

Mai rolled her eyes. "At least someone's in a worse mood than we are."

The hotdog man looked at her and pointed his spatula in her face. "Listen, missy, if you're just messin' around in my stall I won't get enough customers for tonight. They would want to go near a hotdog stand with some weirdos hanging around, looking like the end of the world is near. So, scram!"

Zuko's anger flared up. "Stop talking to my girlfriend like that! You think you're so great? Huh! You don't even know who we are!"

He raised his hand as flames started to come out of his fingertips. But Mai laid a soothing hand on his arm.

"Let it go, Zuko," she said calmly.

"Yeah," chided the hotdog man snidely, "let it go, you wouldn't want Miss Teddy Bear here to get angry at you."

Mai's eyes widened. "Miss – what, exactly?"

"Miss Teddy Bear!" he said with a smirk, eyeing Mai's hair.

Zuko can feel Mai's hand slowly gripping more tightly onto his arm. He was aware of what Mai can do when she was really mad.

"Mai? Let's go," he said, as he took a step backward. But he was held back by the pain of Mai's sharp long fingernails digging into his arm.

"Not yet," she hissed.

He turned, at was stunned at what he'd seen. The hotdog man was hanging on the opposite wall by his clothes, sharp knives on specific angles, but not hurting him.

Mai got a hotdog, from the stall, put some condiments, placed her payment on the counter and walked away.

"So much for letting it go," Zuko said quietly.

**A/N: Okay. So. Told you it would be longer. Reviews please!**


	4. From Fruit Tarts To 'Gin'

**A/N: Thanks once again for the reviews! Sorry if I haven't written for a long, LONG time… some writer's block became jarred in my brain. Anyway, here's another chapter!**

"Well," said Mai, munching on her hotdog, "that was pretty fun."

_Apparently_, Zuko thought, _making other people shake in fear with near-death experiences are fun for her._

"Uh, yeah," he said as he looked around. He spotted some tables in the corner and gestured for them. "Let's sit down, shall we?"

They made their way to a circular table and sat down, Mai still eating her food, eyes averted from his.

"So," started Zuko uncomfortably, "uh…"

Mai looked at him inquisitively.

"Er," said Zuko, casting his eyes around for a subject to talk about. "Are – are you enjoying the carnival?"

Mai just shrugged.

"How about that hotdog?" Zuko said lamely.

"What about it?" asked Mai, staring at her half-finished food.

"Does it – um – is it to your taste?"

Mai sighed. "It's okay. But its flavor is pretty dull. I much prefer fruit tarts."

"Fruit tarts, huh?" said Zuko, "I – I like fruit tarts too."

"You do?" asked Mai, smiling slightly as she finished her hotdog. "I had no idea."

"Well, you won't really see me eating those desserts during palace parties," Zuko said.

"Uh-huh. For me, I only like the ones with rose petals on top," Mai said dreamily.

"Nice. Very classy," said Zuko.

"You think so?"

"Pretty much."

"They go great with tea."

"Oh, yeah, my uncle loved eating those with his favorite kind..."

Mai smiled. "Ah, I remember your uncle. He really was great with tea and liquor."

"Ah," Zuko chuckled, "I think he only liked tea, liquors like brandy and gin aren't really appealing to him."

Mai nodded to acknowledge what he said.

There was an awkward moment of silence as the people around passed them by, uncaring. Zuko bent his head, and Mai wiped her hands with a napkin.

She cleared her throat. "And speaking of gin," Mai said casually, "I've heard about – oh, correct me if I'm wrong – Jin, they call her."

"What?" a surprised Zuko looked up. "What about her?"

"Don't deny it Zuko," Mai said, smirking, "I know who she is."

"How did you know about her?" Zuko asked, rattled at the thought that Mai had known about his first date.

"I have my sources," said Mai mysteriously.

"And…?" asked Zuko tentatively.

"Please. Don't expect me to rant on about your one little date in Ba Sing Se," Mai said, "I want _you_ to rant on about it. Tell me what happened."

"Well, didn't your 'sources' know?" snapped Zuko, annoyed that he had to relive his experience to someone. He even hadn't told it to his uncle, let alone _Mai_.

Mai just raised her eyebrow. She clearly wanted the story.

Zuko sighed. "I don't want to talk about it," he said, carefully avoiding her gaze almost as piercing as her stilettos.

"But why?" asked Mai, smirking, "Did you do something, oh, I don't know, unpleasant for my ears?"

"That date was nothing," Zuko said distractedly.

"If it was 'nothing', then it wouldn't hurt to tell me about it, would it?"

"I didn't even want to go in the first place! My uncle just… answered the request for me!" Zuko said hotly.

"Go on," said Mai simply.

"I – We just – j-just – Ugh!" he said exasperatedly, "Okay! So we just went to some dingy restaurant, talked about stuff, pretended I was from the circus; then she just dragged me into this fountain! End of story!" He crossed his arms, heart throbbing. _Why did she want to know so badly?_ he thought angrily.

_Fountain, huh? _Mai thought deeply.

And another awkward silence fell.

**A/N: Ooh… Mai's reaction is something to be looking forward to! Reviews are treasured.**


	5. Stammering

**A/N: Okay. So. Here it is! I'm so sorry I haven't been updating for so long. Forgiveness is one of the best things in the world. :D**

Zuko watched Mai apprehensively. He saw her eyes squint at the sound of the word "fountain". _What could possibly be going on in her mind?_ he thought. _I guess she remembered the trick Azula did on us when we were little. _He looked away as he reminisced.

"So," said Mai, breaking the silence, "you went to – ahem, a fountain?"

"Yes," answered Zuko, still staring decisively at the ground. He felt really uncomfortable now.

"And what did you do?" asked Mai, lowering her voice to a barely audible whisper. She leaned over the table and put her hand under her chin to indicate her interest.

Zuko felt heat rise up to his cheeks. It was rare of him to blush. Mai smirked slightly as she saw the color rising in his face. He closed his eyes in contemplation.

_Should I tell her?_ he thought fretfully, _she really is the type not to tell others. I mean, she's not exactly that outspoken, isn't she? But – _he cast a nervous glance at Mai – _there always _is_ a chance someone might persuade her. Sometimes she just gets facts out straight, just like from what I've heard about her and what she did with the Earth King's bear. Mai is just _SO_ complicated! _he thought, irritated.

"Mai, uh," Zuko started reluctantly, "Jin – first of all, I didn't _like_ her, alright? She was just some customer at the tea shop. I didn't want to be with her at all! She's a bit annoying and too curious."

Mai just nodded and leaned back on her seat. Silence still.

"She just grabbed my hand after we went for dinner and – uh – hauled me to what she called 'the Firelight Fountain'." He scowled. "There were candles there which were apparently supposed to make the scene look –" he glanced at Mai, "– romantic, but they weren't lit."

He paused for her feedback, but Mai didn't respond. He sighed out of frustration for her lack of reaction. "She looked disappointed so I sort of used firebending to light up the candles. But I told her to close her eyes before I did it."

Mai smirked. "So, you risked blowing your cover in Ba Sing Se just to… _impress_ this girl?"

Zuko's eyes widened. "I didn't do it to impress her! I told you, she was nothing!"

The smirk was still in place, and it infuriated him. _Why is she like this?_ he thought furiously, and yet his golden eyes still couldn't stop looking into the cold black pair.

Mai saw him looking at her with furrowed brows. She realized he wasn't going to blurt out the whole story in just one sentence. Patience isn't really a virtue she lived with. She sighed.

"It's okay."

"What?"

"It's okay. You can stop. I could already tell what happened from this part on."

Zuko couldn't believe it. "You made me stammer all those things just to tell me – "

"Uh-huh."

"I can't believe you Mai," he said, leaning onto his chair and wiped the sweat from his forehead. He didn't even notice how tense he was until then.

"I guess that means you don't know me that much."

"Well, I have the rest of the night to get to know you." Zuko smiled as he stood up and held out his hand.

Mai smiled her rare smile and took his hand.

**A/N: Gah. I know, it's been a mushy and unsatisfying chapter. Plus, it's not one of the best ones. But still, reviews are gold. Flames are used to increase firebending – but the result depends on who uses it.**


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